


I Can't Leave You

by soniapriestly



Series: The Devil and Her Darling [1]
Category: The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:34:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26716849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soniapriestly/pseuds/soniapriestly
Summary: What would have happened if Andy had decided to come back to Miranda's suite in Paris after she told her about the divorce?
Relationships: Miranda Priestly/Andrea Sachs
Series: The Devil and Her Darling [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2198412
Comments: 18
Kudos: 186





	I Can't Leave You

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! This is my first MirAndy story. English isn't my mother tongue, but I have proofread everything. Any mistakes are my own.
> 
> I don't own any of the characters and I don't make any profits from this, I write for fun. Enjoy! :)
> 
> Oh, I almost forgot! This story is based on 2 edits I made, so here are the links:
> 
> [Edit 1](https://www.instagram.com/p/CFhzoFNA6l2/?igshid=n81ammd1zq8s)
> 
> [Edit 2](https://www.instagram.com/p/CFupFnHgTyE/?igshid=1cvhycix4kg2x)

**Ritz Hotel - Miranda's Suite**

"Miranda, is there... is there anything else I can do?" Andy asked, still processing what Miranda had just told her about the divorce, about how this would affect her children's lives and especially, the fact she had told this to _her_. She doubted her boss had ever been this open with other assistants, not even with Emily.

Miranda slowly looked at Andy, starting to look like her usual self again, "Your job."

Andy nodded and got up from the sofa, knowing what Miranda needed the most right now was being alone. She probably hated herself for allowing her assistant to see her in such a vulnerable state. _Do my job, okay, I can do that. But right now I have a date with Christian. Do I even want to go?_ Andy opened her suite's door, looked in the mirror and applied a little bit of mascara, even though her makeup was on point. It was a nervous habit of hers, really; other times she would brush her hair repeatedly. But why was she so nervous? Ever since she had arrived at Paris, she had not stopped working, so she deserved to have some fun. Right?

She was still looking at herself in the mirror, but instead of seeing herself, her mind wandered to the previous minutes of this evening. Miranda had looked completely devastated. She never thought she would live to see the day her boss would not look terrifying. _Another divorce… splashed across Page Six. Just imagine what they're gonna write about me. The Dragon Lady, career-obsessed. Snow Queen drives away another Mr. Priestly._ Andy gulped. Why could she not stop thinking about her? Alright, the divorce situation was not ideal, but many couples go through this and they are fine, and this was Miranda Fucking Priestly, for crying out loud. She had overcome two divorces already, what was one more divorce? _But, my girls. It's just so unfair to the girls. Another disappointment…_ Miranda's voice resonated in the brunette's head.

 _Oh, fuck it._ Andy quickly grabbed her phone and sent a message to Christian, who was supposed to pick her up for their date:

**Je suis désolée about dinner, I'm not feeling so well, must be something I ate.**

**Paris is full of hot Parisian girls, though, so please enjoy your night**

_There, sent. I feel so relieved, it's almost as if I was forcing myself to go to that date. I mean, I didn't even want to have a date with Christian, just wanted to hang out and forget about work for a couple of hours, but I know better than to trust Prince Charming. As if he hadn't made his intentions clear already. Alright, now, about Miranda… hmm… what about her? Ugh, I'm gonna take a shower and clear my mind, I don't know why I am feeling so overwhelmed._

As she was washing her hair, flashes of her last conversation with Miranda would come to her mind non-stop. It still felt surreal. She just wanted to hug Miranda and kiss her sorrows away. She had it so bad for her… how could she have been so dense all this time and not realize earlier? _God, I'm so stupid! Stupid, stupid, fat girl! Well, not anymore, I'm a size four now. Ok, focus, Andy, you know what you have to do. You can't back out now._ Andy put her hair on a messy bun and put her bathrobe on. She had no makeup on now, just like Miranda. Hopefully that would help? Andy scoffed. As if Miranda would be okay with her coming back to her room just because she wasn't wearing makeup anymore! Miranda was going to fire her anyway after what she was going to say to her. Andy opened the door, her hands were a bit sweaty, so she quickly dried them off in her robe.

The moment she was in front of Miranda's door, she froze. She could hear her heart beating furiously, and could not breathe normally. _I don't really care what anybody writes about me. But, my girls… my girls…_

 _Ok, Sachs, get it together! You're not doing this for you, you're doing it for her. If you end up unemployed, so be it, you'll go to another state to become a journalist if it's necessary._ Miranda had told her to keep a copy of her keys so she could come in that evening to discuss the seating chart, so she introduced the key, and knocked on the door, waiting for Miranda's permission to come in.

"Who is it?"

"It's me. Andy… Andrea."

"Go away."

Andy let herself in anyway, waiting at the entrance behind the door, "Miranda, please, don't be mad, but... may I please come in?

"Andrea, what are you doing here? And why are you wearing a bathrobe?"

"I was gonna go out, but... I didn't want to leave you here after what you talked to me about. I care about you, okay?" she walked towards the sofa she had previously sat on, standing still, waiting for Miranda's reaction.

"Ah. I see. You care about your _job,_ " she scoffed, "You can go now, Andrea, I'm not firing you for having some fun." she replied bitterly.

Andy sat on the sofa in front of Miranda's. It was so sad that she could not believe that anyone could really care about her, not because they expected to win something in return, but because they genuinely did, "Miranda, that's not it! I care about _you_ , it's hard for me to see you hurting; neither you nor your twins deserve any backlash because of the divorce." her assistant said sincerely, looking at her boss with watery dove eyes.

Miranda analyzed Andrea's expression. She wanted to find evidence that she was lying, that she was just one more person that wanted to advance in her career and leave her the moment she did. But Andrea seemed to be telling the truth. She was different from the rest of her long list of assistants; she had no doubt about it. But still… it had to be a trap.

"My twins, the same girls who almost got you fired." the Editor-in-chief retorted.

"Yes, those little pranksters who just wanted for Stephen and you to stop arguing. They're just girls, Miranda, I know that wasn't their intention. They did the first thing that came to mind to stop the yelling. I never held it against them."

Miranda chuckled, "This is the first time someone speaks of my girls without any malice after being a victim of one of their pranks. Apart of their father, that is. My second husband and Stephen, however, they never really connected with them," Andy nodded, listening to whatever anecdote her boss was about to tell her, "One day, Caroline and Cassidy were working on their art project. They were painting in the living room, and Stephen had forgotten his tie on one of the chairs. The girls were experimenting with their paintings, and Cassidy accidentally spread a little bit of paint on that tie when she was practicing her dripping technique to make some dots on her sketchbook. The twins explained to Stephen they hadn't done it on purpose, but he was furious. I spoke to him in private, telling him to never talk to my girls in that tone again, and what did he say?" Miranda looked at Andy, who was not sure if it was a rhetorical question.

"What did he say?"

"Then they should leave my fucking ties alone!"

"What a jerk!" Andy could not stop herself from swearing, "Sorry, Miranda."

"No, no, you're right, he _is_ a jerk. I should've known better than to marry him. So much for giving the twins a paternal figure."

"Pollock would be proud of them."

Miranda looked pleased at this, "He would."

"Not that it's any of my business, but I think the divorce is not gonna be something completely negative after all, except for the press, of course. For that, I'm sorry. It must be so hard to have paparazzi following you every day, more so for your daughters. That sucks."

"Yes, well… they've been through this before. We'll all be alright after a while."

"The press will eventually find someone else to talk about, sooner than later. Anyway, if there's anything at all I can do for you or your girls, just call me. I don't mind, even if it's not in my contract."

"Why?"

"Because I want to. I told you, I care about you, and that includes your daughters. I know you're a bit of a difficult person to work for…"

"Understatement of the year." Miranda interrupted.

"Well, it doesn't matter to me. I know you can be tough, but you're also incredibly talented, smart and care about your family. You're not heartless or any other bullshit they write about you on that stupid paper." Andy said in a serious tone. _And I love you,_ she wanted to tell her, but the words would still not come out.

The silver-haired woman stood silent while looking at Andy, who had not realized she had stopped breathing while looking back at her. What could she be thinking about, Andy did not know.

"You're a good listener, Andrea."

"Only when I care about whatever someone is telling me. If you met some of my college professors they'd tell you otherwise, some subjects made me want to die of boredom." Andy laughed, but quickly stopped, coming back to her senses. This was the Dragon Lady she was speaking to, and her boss, on top on that, for God's sake!

"Oh, really? I should try to find them, then. I am intrigued to know more about you, the person you used to be. You have certainly changed a lot since that day I interviewed you, and especially since the day you wore that hideous cerulean sweater."

"Yeah, not my finest moment." Andy started fidgeting with her fingers, "I still can't believe I laughed when you were trying to put an outfit together just because I didn't understand fashion."

"Well, everybody makes mistakes."

"I have made a lot, though. But today I made a good decision, so there's that."

"You call this suicidal mission, coming back to talk to me, a good decision, Andrea?" Miranda teased her.

"I… well, I think it was worth it."

"Was it, really? Didn't you have better plans before I started rambling about my divorce?" she said with a sad tone.

"I was about to make one of my biggest mistakes. I had a date but… I didn't even wanna go."

"Ah. Mr. Thompson, am I right?"

"How do you…?"

"Oh, please, he has been chasing you since forever, waiting for the perfect moment to make a move on you, that vulture. Or did you think I wouldn't notice the way he grabbed you by the waist while I was being interviewed during Fashion Week? And by the way, you didn't look bothered at all by that." she sounded annoyed, especially by the latter.

"I was naive enough to think he just liked me as a friend, that he just wanted to help me in publishing because he liked my work. But today I was more lucid, I think, and realized what his true intentions are. And I can assure you, I am not interested in _him_." _I am only interested in one person after all_ "I am done dating trash men. I can't believe I didn't break up with Nate sooner… Oh, sorry, now I am rambling."

"Nate, the cook boy?"

"Yes. How do you…?"

"I know everything. I am Miranda Priestly after all." The truth was she had asked Nigel to tell her about Andy's life. She just liked to be informed about her employees whereabouts (more about her second assistant's, truth be told).

"Right."

"What happened?"

"He didn't respect me, I realized too late. He was jealous that I was doing so well at my job, he just wanted my life to revolve around him, to support his career while giving up mine. He and who I believed were my friends wanted me to quit this job, but they _did_ accept the gifts I gave them with enthusiasm. They wanted me to be clumsy, ugly Andy."

"What a bunch of idiots."

"Yes… and well, Nate, he… he said the person whose calls I always take is the person I am in a relationship with. And he wished you and I to be very happy together by the way." Andy smiled to herself, blushing. If only that was true.

"Oh, poor cook wannabe, his girlfriend won't call him back because she's busy trying to focus on her career, boo-hoo." Miranda rolled her eyes. This made Andy laugh, "what's so funny?"

"You."

"This is the first time someone refers to me as funny. Are you feeling alright, Andrea? You may have a fever."

"No, of course not, I meant everything I said. I guess there's more to Miranda Priestly than her fashionista persona. Not that I would ever tell this to anyone."

"Not that anyone would believe you, I am the Ice Queen after all." she mumbled, staring into space.

Andy got up and took a seat next to Miranda, careful not to touch her though, she knew how much she hated physical contact, especially after the day she let her ride the elevator with her.

"You're not. I mean, you are always giving people your famous ice stare, but… you're so much than that."

"I am a successful woman at work, no one else can do what I do. But I am someone who can't be good enough at anything else, and that's simply the truth. And please, don't pity me. This chit-chat has been nice, but it's time for you to go."

"Actually, no, that's not the truth. You couldn't be more wrong." _I may be out of my damn mind, but I came here to do something and Sachs are not cowards._

"Excuse me?" Miranda looked annoyed for the first time since Andy came back to her room.

"You're not only the best at your job, you're an amazing mother as well, anyone with a functional brain can see you'd do anything for your daughters. The only thing that went wrong in your life are your marriages. But have you ever considered the possibility that the problem was never you?"

"Andrea, what are you trying to say? Of course it's me, I'm…"

"…amazing! If those dudes you married couldn't understand you, then the problem was them! Men tend to think they're superior to women and that they should be the successful ones in a couple, and the moment their partners earn more money, they feel threatened, with a few exceptions, of course. But you didn't marry exceptions, you married assholes, Miranda. Pardon my language, but it's the tea." the brunette was blushing furiously, but she did not care. She hated how the men in Miranda's life had made sure to make her feel guilty.

Miranda was astonished. No one who had worked for her had ever dared to be this blunt, much less about her private life.

"You don't need to kiss my ass, Andrea."

"I am not, I am telling you what I think, it's simple as that."

"There's nothing simple when it comes to me."

"But simple is so boring, who needs simple when you can choose to be with an extraordinary woman?" _Ok, here we go._

"Andrea, stop this flattery, I told you you don't need to kiss my…" Miranda continued, but was interrupted by Andy's lips, which were firmly pressed against hers.

"I don't need to kiss your ass, yes Miranda, I am not deaf. Otherwise I doubt you would've hired me to be your assistant. How's this for a suicidal mission?" Andy managed to reply even if she was a bit out of breath.

"What…? Andrea! Why?" the silver-haired woman was out of words. This had never happened before. What was this silly girl thinking?

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!" _Okay, Nigel, please go prepare my funeral. Play something nice, maybe some 90s song. Miranda is gonna kill me now. 'Viva Forever', that would be a good choice._

"Don't be ridiculous, Andrea. This is a classic case of hero worship."

"Has anyone kissed you because they admired you? Emily, for example?" _I'm gonna kill that Brit if she ever dares to do such a thing._

"No, of course not. They know I would fire them."

"So you're firing me." _Of course she is._

"No, I am not."

"Why not?" Andy asked, hopeful.

"You know how hard it is to find someone capable to be my second assistant. I don't want to have Emily train a new one so soon."

"Oh."

"Andrea, I know what you're thinking. You are disappointed, but there's nothing I can do to remedy that.

"You could have dinner with me."

"Seriously, Andrea?"

"Well, you kissed me back, so I thought…"

"No, no, I did not, I just let your lips move against mine without offering resistance."

"Miranda, that's gotta be the weirdest way someone has ever described a kiss."

"I'm serious. This is not a game. I am getting divorced, you're too young and what you want from me is impossible." _It would be so easy to give in, but it would be madness._

"So you don't like me. Alright, I…" Andy's eyes got watery again, "I didn't expect for you to feel the same, I am just your lousy assistant after all." she stood up, but before she could leave, Miranda grabbed her wrist and push her against herself, resulting in Andy sitting on top of Miranda. Before she could react, the Editor-in-chief placed her hands on both sides of her beautiful assistant's face and kissed her with all the strength she had left.

"Mi… Miranda… didn't you say this was impossible?"

"Well, Andrea, you seem to make the impossible become possible." she was beaming at her, and Andy could not believe she was lucky enough to see that, "I don't want you to leave, the very idea of you not coming back is too painful. And I'll rather enjoy this while it lasts."

"Why do you say that? I don't want this to last! This has barely begun!" Andy exclaimed, afraid Miranda saw her just as a toy she would get tired of eventually.

"Because in just a few months, you'll be free. Your 1 year period is gonna be over and you will leave me, just like everyone else."

Andy took the silver-haired woman by the chin, "No, Miranda, I will not. I can't leave you. I will try to find a job that allows me to write, but I would like to be in your life after I am done working at _Runway_ , if you would like that too."

"Of course I would like that. I would love that very much." Miranda replied, sealing this promise with a kiss.


End file.
